Family Hayride

Every year for as long as I can remember, my Aunt Merry and Uncle Monty have put on a family hayride out at their ranch. We all ride the wagon, loaded with bales of hay, out to a predetermined location, where the hay was unloaded and arranged in a circle, where a campfire was made in the center. Dinner was laid out on the wagon and we'd sit around the fire, telling stories, visiting, and singing songs. After True and Andrea were married, we've enjoyed having the guitar and fiddle as part of the tradition. The kids usually start a game of hide and seek somewhere out in the dark, and we all stay til late, enjoying tradition and family.
When I was very little, it was only one wagon and he had Clydesdales pulling it. Now, they use two wagons linked together and it's pulled by the truck. After I got married and moved away, we missed some years, but it's so nice being back in the area to attend things like this. This year was a little different. I think it was probably due to the fact that there were a few new babies this year, and Grandpa Pearce has a harder time in the cold weather, but we all loaded up onto the wagon and rode out to the field. We made a few loops around the field for tradition, and headed back to the old red barn. Instead of sitting around the campfire, we sat on haybales in the barn and had a little more light and warmth. After dinner Aunt Merry started things off by passing around a cup of M&M's, everyone taking two different colors. Depending on what color you had determined what you shared with the group. Yellow: Something funny, Green: Favorite gift, Red: A tender moment, Blue: A lifelong dream, and Brown: A piece of advice. It was a lot of fun to hear from everyone and we sang songs until it was time to go, then Uncle Monty drove everyone on the wagon back home Some people requested that it be held in the barn every year, but I'm not sure what will happen. I think a small part of me would miss the way things were, but I also know that no matter where we have it, I still love going and sharing that experience with family.

Dad and Tony, waiting for the party to start

It was also Dad's Birthday

The first wagon

The second wagon

Inside the barn during dinner

Grandpa telling us a Bear Story

Music and Fun: True and Andrea were great!

Grandpa and I

Brinley and I on the wagon

The Fruits of our Labor

Last Saturday Tony and I went to his parents house and spent most of the day Canning Peaches and Pears with his Mom. She's an expert canner so we appreciated the help. We did about 30 Quarts of Peaches and 30 Pears. There's something satisfying, if not beautiful, having them all lined up on my pantry shelf, with the colors glowing.